If She Hadn't Died
by Hollybranch
Summary: What if Feathertail didn't die back in the Cave of Rushing Water? Would her relationship with Crowpaw work out or will the grief for her brother swallow her whole? Please Read & Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Guess what you guys! I have another new story :D This one is about if Feathertail had lived. Please Read and Review! **

"It's almost time." Crowpaw murmured softly into Feathertail's ear.

"Yes." She agreed. "Sharptooth could be here any moment."

The two young cats were standing side by side at the cave entrance, staring at each other intently. Their loving gazes churned together, like an endless blue waterfall roaring into the distance and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't break away from those dark blue pools.

"Whatever happens this night, I… I want you to know that I love you." Crowpaw meowed, his eyes flashing with something Feathertail had never seen before: fear.

"Everything will be fine…" Feathertail murmured, trying to reassure the younger tom with her gentle words.

But he just gave her a doubtful look. "Maybe." He meowed as he pressed close to her, burying his muzzle in her thick gray fur. "Maybe."

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"Sharptooth's here!" a tribe cat yowled as it burst through the waterfall. "Sharptooth is coming!"

Feathertail's eyes widened. "What?" she gasped in horror. Beside her Stormfur, Feathertail's brother tensed his muscles and unsheathed his claws anxiously.

The tabby cave-guard was panting heavily and she realised for the first time the thick scent of blood coming off of him. "He's coming." He managed to rasp. "Run!" Then the tom fell to the cave floor and lay deathly silent, his chest and flank ripped open in a long wound.

"You heard him: run!" Stoneteller, the tribe-healer cried out, his eyes burning with grief and rage.

The tribe cats split up at once and hid themselves the best they could in crevices and ledges high out of Sharptooth's reach. But the Clan cats, stayed rooted in the middle of the clearing frozen with fear and shock.

Then without warning a tawny coloured creature burst through the waterfall. Its fur was a golden-brown, with a creamy white muzzle that revealed savage, gleaming fangs. Its tail was tipped off with midnight black and its claws were long and hooked.

It let out a dreadful snarling before it's beady black eyes locked with Squirrelpaw's. Then it burst off towards her with lightning quick speed, it's claws slashing out in front of it.

Squirrelpaw veered away from the lion cat just in time and sank her teeth in at the base of his tail. The lion cat spun around to dislodge her but she flashed around, quick as lightning to scurry up a cave wall. Brambleclaw followed her with a commanding yowl to the other clan cats: "Hide!"

Tawnypelt dashed away and Feathertail saw Crowpaw heading for a narrow crevice in the cave floor. Then Feathertail felt her paws rapidly following Stormfur as her brother sped up the cave wall opposite of Squirrelpaw, Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw.

A few heartbeats after Stormfur had reached one of the ledges nearest the cave roof Feathertail launched herself up to join him. Only then did she realize that Sharptooth had kept chase with her.

As her paws scrabbled frantically on the smooth gray rock trying to get a grip Sharptooth leapt up at her. The beast's teeth snapped so close to her flank that Feathertail couldn't help but let out a wail of terror.

"Help me!" she screamed, her eyes closed tightly as she waited for Sharptooth to jump at her again.

Then she felt strong teeth sink into her scruff—not Sharptooth's but Stormfur's as her brother struggled to pull her up. Finally she felt solid rock beneath her hind legs as Stormfur pulled her to safety.

She stared at him with eyes as wide as moons. "Oh Stormfur!" she gasped, breathless. "Thank you!

The two siblings gazed at each other, breathless as Sharptooth tried to reach them. Below them Feathertail heard a faint voice call: "Feathertail? Feathertail are you alright?"

Her fur stood on end with shock as she gazed out over the ledge to see Crowpaw peering out of his hiding place. She signalled to him frantically: _Get back! _And just as she expected Sharptooth followed the apprentice's voice then lunged forward his teeth bared, trying to catch him.

Crowpaw let out a screech of fear and ducked back into the crevice, flattening himself to the cave floor. Sharptooth's paw dangled down into the hole as he attempted to catch the apprentice. Feathertail caught the sickening stench of blood as the lion cats' claws met Crowpaw's flesh.

"Crowpaw!" she wailed aloud. Stormfur crouched down beside her, his eyes swirling with chaos and confusion.

He began to murmur something that gradually formed into words: "I am the silver cat… I am the silver cat…"

Then he raised his head towards the cave roof his jaws parted in a triumphant yowl, "I am the silver cat!" Then to Feathertail's horror he jumped.

"No!"


	2. Chapter 2

Feathertail's heart stopped beating the moment her brother's paws lifting off the rock ledge where they were standing. She wanted to cry out but she couldn't utter a single sound. Her eyes could only follow Stormfur's lithe form as he leapt of the wall and down onto Sharptooth. A trail of dirt and chunks of rock followed him, crashing down from the ledge where she and Stormfur had been standing.

He flew down towards the cave floor at a rapid speed and landed sprawled out beside Sharptooth. The lion cat looked up from where he was trying to catch Crowpaw, his eyes seeming to shine with a sudden delight. He raised his paw ready to dispatch Stormfur who was struggling to sit up when Feathertail felt the last bit of the rock beneath her give way. Letting out a cry of terror she plummeted down towards both her brother and Sharptooth. She found herself falling into the lion cat's long thick fur, her claws digging into the back of its neck.

Sharptooth reared up on his hind legs, scarlet drops falling down from his back and neck. He tried to throw her off, his limbs flailing around and his tail lashing viciously. It seemed to last nine lifetimes but Feathertail held on with all her strength, digging her claws deeper into the cats flesh until he gave a sudden jerk. Then he went limp and fell back down, Feathertail still attached to his torso.

She tumbled off of him, her silver tabby fur stained with his scarlet red blood. She stumbled a few steps forward trying to reach Stormfur before she collapsed. Her eyes only half-open because of the pain and exhaustion she felt.

She was only faintly aware of both the tribe and clan cats creeping out of their hiding places.

"Stormfur! Stormfur!" cried one voice. Opening her pale blue eyes wider she caught sight of Brook Where Small Fish Swim, the tabby prey-hunter running towards a heap of gray fur. She limped forward a couple of paces, not even realising Crowpaw was right beside her.

"Are you alright?" Brook whispered again. Peering closer Feathertail saw Stormfur's dark gray fur was matted with dust and rock particles but she saw one or two blotches of blood. Finally he opened his eyes and stared straight at Brook, his amber pools shimmering with pale starshine.

"Take care my beautiful," he murmured to her. "I'll meet you some day in the stars…"

The pretty she-cat could only stare in shock as he turned to look Feathertail in the eyes.

"Oh Feathertail!" he purred softly, running his tongue through her bloody pelt in a soothing motion. "Please don't worry about me, mother—Silverstream is coming to get me…"

He drew in a ragged breath and carried on, "I never was the silver cat…" he whispered, his voice getting shallower. "But I'm… glad I get to die as one of the heroes."

Then to her grief his eyes shut gently, his head still lying on her forepaws. But not a single silver teardrop fell from her eyes. She could only stare helplessly at the limp body.

Then she couldn't hear Brook's wailing anymore, the whispers of the tribe cats, Crowpaw's comforting murmurs not even the endless roar of the waterfall. She was all alone with her brother, memories washing like the waves of the sundrown place. She saw her father first staring at two kits with pride brimming in his round yellow eyes. She saw two apprentices laughing, and the silhouettes of newly named warriors in washed out moonlight and amber eyes that shone in the darkness like suns. All she could see was Stormfur: her brother, her friend, her life.

**Poor Stormfur! But Feathertail and Crowpaw will be together now so it's ok :D Please review guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Crowpaw's POV! Enjoy and please review!**

Crowpaw never left Feathertail's side the day Stormfur was buried by the churning pool where the waterfall fell. How could he? Feathertail was the cat he loved most of all and her brother—one of Crowpaw's best friends—had just died.

His eyes slid over to Squirrelpaw, who was crouched beside Brambleclaw, her green eyes shallow, dark pits of misery. Brambleclaw looked just as upset, with his head hanging low and his tail dragging on the ground. Crowpaw had never seen him look so defeated. Even his sister, proud ShadowClan warrior Tawnypelt was struggling to contain her grief. But Feathertail looked worst of all. Her blue eyes no longer danced in the sunlight nor shimmered in the light of the moon as they used too. Instead they were dull. And now not even Crowpaw could comfort her. She seemed to stay alone, in a bubble of her own memories, where no one could intrude.

He was jolted out of his troubled thoughts when a cat came up to speak to Feathertail. He recognised Brook, the tabby prey-hunter.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way," she murmured in her sad, soft voice. "No matter how much I love my tribe, how much I wanted Sharptooth to be gone—I _never,_ ever wanted Stormfur to die."

Crowpaw glanced at Feathertail, trying to see her reaction. She remained motionless, her face twisted in grief before at last she replied.

"I do too." She said quietly, looking down at her paws. "But I know if Stormfur had lived he would have been your mate. And you would have had the most beautiful kits, Brook…"

Brook's eyes beamed with a flash of amber warmth that's seemed to glow bigger than Crowpaw himself. She took a pace forward to lick Feathertail cheek. "We'll meet again in the stars." She agreed. Then she lowered her voice and whispered into Feathertail's ear. "I hope you find that same kind of happiness with Crowpaw. May… may StarClan light your path, my friend."

The tribe she-cat dipped her head towards Crowpaw and then to Brambleclaw and the rest before she disappeared into the mass of cats. Crowpaw felt his fur burn with wretched embarrassment, guessing he wasn't supposed to hear Brook's last murmured words to Feathertail.

Almost as soon as Brook had gone another cat replaced her. This time it Stoneteller, the tribe-healer.

"The thanks of the Tribe of Endless Hunting goes with you." He rumbled in his deep, throaty voice. "Talon, Jag and Night will show you which way to go once you're past our territory. I hope we will meet again someday and next time bring the rest of your tribes"

Once he had finished speaking the other tribe-cats broke away and hustled back into their cave behind the waterfall until finally only the clan cats and the three assigned cave-guards were left.

"Let's go." Meowed the black she-cat, Night as she led the way down the narrow stone path. Crowpaw followed and Feathertail limped beside him. _Some of the wounds from the night before are still bothering her_, he guessed. But judging by the look on her face Crowpaw realised that her emotional wounds were far worse than the physical ones.


End file.
